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New Oil Spill Prevention Legislation Topic of Discussion at Upcoming Boston Bar Association Meeting
October 7, 2004
CONTACT: Mark Rasmussen, Executive Director The Coalition for Buzzards Bay 508-999-6363, ext. 201
BOSTON, MA—The Wetlands, Waterways & Water Quality Committee of the Boston Bar Association will meet on Friday in Boston to hear about the newly enacted Oil Spill Act, Chapter 251 of the Acts of 2004. This bill was signed into law on August 4, 2004, and establishes requirements for oil spill prevention and response in Buzzards Bay and other specified harbors and bays of the Commonwealth. Richard Lehan, Senior Counsel at DEP, and Susan Reid, Issues and Policy Director at the Coalition for Buzzards Bay, will discuss the Buzzards Bay oil spill that led up to enactment of the statute, as well as the provisions and implementation of the new law. Susan Reid commented, “It is an honor to be speaking at the Boston Bar Association. The Coalition for Buzzards Bay looks forward to continuing to assist with education and implementation of the newly enacted oil spill prevention legislation which puts Massachusetts in the forefront – nationally - in the protection of our waters from the risk of oil spills.” The new oil spill legislation was signed into law on August 4, 2004 by Governor Mitt Romney, and will make disasters like the April 27, 2003 Bouchard-120 oil spill in Buzzards Bay dramatically less likely. In addition to raising fines for oil spills and creating a trust fund to help pay for containing them, the law requires oil barge operators to navigate within designated routes, to use local pilots and tugboat escorts to guide their crafts, and to employ a vessel tracking system to curb collisions and groundings. —###—
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